The lost mate

Chapter 125: Pain of past

"Watching them together was unbearable," Liana continued, her voice shaking slightly. "Richard was different around her. Softer. Happier. He became the man I had always hoped he would be, but he wasn’t that man with me. He was that man with her."

A bitter laugh escaped Liana’s lips, and she shook her head. "I had spent my entire life preparing to be his Luna, to be the one by his side. And yet, in the end, it wasn’t me he wanted. It was her. That human girl who had no idea the power she held."

"What happened after that?" Anne asked gently, wanting to understand more.

Liana’s gaze hardened once again. "It became clear that she would be the one to give Richard a child. I hated it, but I had to accept it."

Her eyes darkened, filled with an old, festering anger. "Jennifer agreed to stay with us. She had no idea what she was getting into, but the mate bond made her stay. She became pregnant with Damien shortly after. I could see how happy Richard was, how everything I had ever wanted was now being handed to this... girl."

Liana’s voice trembled with barely restrained fury. "I was forced to watch as she carried the child that should have been mine. I had to stand by and smile while Richard doted on her as if she were the queen of our world. It was a nightmare."

Anne swallowed hard, knowing that no matter how justified Liana’s bitterness was, it didn’t excuse everything she had done. But it was impossible not to feel some measure of pity for the woman who had been denied the one thing she had always wanted.

"Did you kill Jennifer ?" Anne asked.

Liana’s eyes flashed with a mix of anger and pain. "No, I didn’t kill her," she replied, her voice filled with raw emotion.

"Jennifer didn’t know what she was getting into. She had no idea the dangers of carrying a werewolf’s child. The pregnancy took a toll on her. Humans... they’re not built to withstand it."

Anne’s breath caught in her throat, the weight of Liana’s confession settling heavily in her chest. "So, she was doomed from the beginning?"

Liana nodded, her expression a mix of sadness and something darker—resentment. "Yes. The pregnancy was killing her. Slowly, but surely."

"So you let an innocent woman die ?" Anne’s boice trembled with disgust.

She let out a bitter laugh, her eyes flashing with anger. "Can you imagine what that was like, Anne? Watching the woman you hate carry your mate’s child? Knowing that she’s going to die, but still seeing the love in his eyes every time he looks at her? It was torture. Pure, unrelenting torture."

"You could have turned her." Anne said,You could have saved her."

"I am not that cruel; Richard tried to save her. Towards the end, she knew she wouldn’t survive. She asked Richard to take care of the baby to make sure he had a good life. She made me promise, too." Liana’s voice cracked, and she looked away, her hands trembling slightly as she spoke.

"She never got to hold him; she never got to see the child she sacrificed her life for. And Richard..." She paused, her eyes flicking towards Anne with a mixture of regret and anger. "He was devastated. He blamed himself for not being able to save her, and in some ways, I think he blamed me, too."

"Losing his true mates made him weak ?" Anne asked.

Liana’s eyes flickered with a mix of anger and sorrow as she met Anne’s gaze. "Yes," she said, her voice low, almost a whisper. "I thought I was enough for him. But I was wrong."

She paused, her fingers trembling as she picked up her teacup, though she didn’t drink from it. "I tried to be the Luna I was trained to be. I did everything in my power to make sure our pack was strong, but without Richard’s full strength, we suffered. He was no longer the Alpha he once was. He made mistakes. Bad decisions. And the pack noticed."

"How did Jackson find out about your secret ?" Anne asked.

"It was due to that old hag !" Liana snapped.

Anne raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Jennifer needed medical intervention, obviously. So, I had hired a midwife; she was my trusted. But she betrayed me to Jackson, who used the information against me," Liana explained with a bitter tone.

Anne sat in silence, her mind swirling with a strange mix of anger, disgust, and pity as Liana’s confession hung in the air between them. The cold, calculating Luna—with the broken soul who had just bared her darkest secrets.

Liana had stolen a baby from an unsuspecting girl. Yet somehow, she had painted herself as the victim, wrapped in layers of her own bitterness and grief. It was infuriating, but also tragic.

Anne clenched her fists, her voice tight with emotion. "You talk about sacrifice, Liana, as if you’re the only one who’s suffered. But Jennifer didn’t have a choice. Did you ever think about her fmaily ? How they must have suffered ?"

Liana flinched, the mask of cold indifference cracking for a moment. "You think I wanted this? You think I wanted any of it? I didn’t have a choice, either."

Anne shook her head, her voice hardening. "You had a choice, Liana. You always had a choice. And you chose to lie, to manipulate, to hide the truth. You could have told Damien the truth about his mother, but you didn’t. And now, everything is falling apart."

Liana’s eyes flashed with anger. "I did what was necessary. To protect Damien, to protect the pack. Richard’s father would have never accepted a half blood heir. He would have killed Damien ! And Blaze would have become the Alpha King. My father would have retaliated, and there would have been a war !"

Anne’s voice trailed off, filled with quiet contempt. She stared at Liana, unable to hide the disgust rising inside her. "After everything, you’re still thinking about the status and the throne?"

"You are a stupid girl who can’t understand the weight of responsibility and sacrifice." She snapped, "I did what I had to do."

For a moment, the two women stared at each other in tense silence.

"You think I wanted to lie to Damien?" Liana’s voice cracked as she spoke.

Anne sighed, leaning back in her chair. She suddenly felt weary, as if the weight of Liana’s story had been passed on to her. "What Damien needs now isn’t more lies," she said softly. "He deserves to know the truth. Jackson is using this secret against you, and it’s only a matter of time before Damien finds out from him."

At the mention of Jackson, Liana visibly flinched.

"You need to tell him, Liana. It’s the only way to defeat Jackson. If Damien hears the truth from you, it takes away Jackson’s power over both of you. But if you keep hiding—"

"I can’t," Liana interrupted, her voice breaking. She looked down at her trembling hands. "I can’t lose him."

"You think you’re protecting him, but you’re not," Anne pressed. "You’re protecting yourself. And maybe Richard, too. But Damien—he’s living a lie, Liana. And that lie will only destroy him."